An epic western with a fascinating premise - a young man tracks down the outlaws who killed his white father and Kiowa Indian mother - is suffocated by lethargic direction from veteran Henry Hathaway, though the film is redeemed by Lucien Ballard's lush photography and an outstanding supporting cast. Playing a younger version of the character played by Alan Ladd in The Carpetbaggers, a miscast Steve McQueen brings star presence to a film that was backed by his own production company, Solar, and became a major hit in its day.

Nevada Smith is the young son of an Indian mother and white father. When his father is killed by three men over gold, Nevada sets out to find them and kill them. The boy is taken in by a gun merchant. The gun merchant shows him how to shoot and to shoot on time and correct.